When first I began watching Spartacus: Blood and Sand, I felt it uninspired; an ill-concieved guise of cinematic bloodshed to cover what appeared to be little more than cock, and breasts and love-making. Each episode contained more nudity than an issue of playboy and sexual exploits to put Emmanuelle1 to shame. What follows is a discussion of my journey through the first season of Blood and Sand. It contains strong language and imagery that some may find offensive. But like the series, this is done in hopes of portraying a factual representation of the events that occurred.
I did not think much of the first episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand. It is the tale of a Thracian and his decent into the hell of slavery. Betrayed by the roman Gaius Claudius Glaber, he saw his life wrongfully wrenched from his hands. This was not before we were treated to several scenes of battle, both on the field and in the bedroom. With saturated colors, needlessly slow action sequences and exaggerated bloodshed, the show was off to a rocky start. But there was promise, if not of a decent story, then at least of weekly glimpses of Lucy Lawless’s voluptuous breast (or Andy Whitfield’s, along with many other’s, delectable derrières).
So I continued to watch, as the Thracian defied execution and found himself in the ludus of Lentulus Batiatus (as portrayed by John Hannah). If not for Lentulus Batiatus and his desire to rise above his station, I fear the show wouldn’t have held much promise. For lost in the midst of bare asses and breast was a glorious tale of political intrigue and posturing to make even the oldest of Ventrue2 quiver in delight.
Down on his luck and straddled with debt, Batiatus hoped that Spartacus would bring wealth and fame back to his fading ludus, as well as the opportunity to gain favor with those who might help to elevate him. As things often go, the plans of fair Batiatus did not proceed as planned, landing him near bankrupt after a failed plan in the pits ended up with Spartacus defeating his foe to save Batiatus from unseen assailants. At this point, the story really begins as this attempt on his life, by slaves no less, enrages Batiatus to the point of action. It is at this point that we also begin to learn the true nature of Ashur, a former gladiator crippled in the arena by Crixus.
Death in the arena, as Spartacus rises to fame is accompanied by numerous deaths outside the arena as those who had wronged Batiatus meet their ends. Spartacus rises to fame, becoming the hero of Capua, after he defeats the Shadow of Death, Theocoles and with it, ending the draught that had plagued the city by bringing the rains with the giants blood. The former champion, Crixus, who fought alongside Spartacus in the battle is wounded to the point where many question whether or not he’ll survive or ever see a return to the arena. For those familiar with the story, you already know the outcome as Crixus played a major role in the Third Servile War3.
But I digress, as the true hero of the series is not Spartacus, but Batiatus. To tame the wild Thracian and gain his obedience, Batiatus makes good on his promise to reunite Spartacus with his wife. In a most dramatic scene, the cart carrying Sura arrives and Spartacus begins to set-forth his plan to flee to freedom with his wife, but his actions are halted when he notices the blood on the cart driver and the sad condition of the cart. He also begins to question his chances of success when the Doctore appears despite having been drugged the night prior by Spartacus to avoid such a showing.
As expected, the cart was attacked, Sura is dead and with her last words, she whispers something along the lines of “Kill ‘em all”. Batiatus later confronts his wife on the matter –as she was none-to-pleased to learn of the reunion of the Thracian dog with his bitch – stating that he fulfilled his end of the bargain. He never promised Spartacus that she would be alive or live long past said reunion, but proving to be a man of his word he gained the trust and loyalty of Spartacus. For the viewer, the lesson to be learned here is that a carefully worded desire or wish should always be first and foremost at the forefront of one’s mind when negotiating, especially with those who have aspirations to political office.
Following this, we are treated to more bloodshed as Spartacus brings fame and fortune to the ludus, helping to restore it to its prior glory. Ashur sees to the removal of Barca, a fellow gladiator he owed a substantial sum of money after he bet that Spartacus would defeat Theocoles.
It was more political wrangling, beautifully played as individuals where manipulated on several fronts. If also helped that Ashur overheard Barca tell his lover, Pietros, that he had disobeyed an order from Batiatus to end a young boys life. We later learn that Barca had indeed followed orders and had only told Pietros what he did to spare his feelings, but the damage had already been done. More blood and death and boobs, followed by forced sodomy, brutality and suicide. Enrage, Spartacus sends a fellow gladiator over a cliff and is berated for ending a brother’s life for a mere slave. For those not keeping score, they were all slaves but the gladiators felt themselves above the common slaves because they earned honor and coin for the house.
Other fights occur, Ashur gains the trust (and coins) of Solonius, the hated rival of Batiatus, and Ilithyia (wife of Glaber) attempts to end the Thracian’s life who so embarrassed her husband with a gladiator she purchased from Batiatus. The gentleman, described as having a horse cock, is stopped and ends up loosing said third leg and life. Ilithyia, in the process, is embarrassed and things go from bad to worse as she is tricked into bedding the hated Thracian and the act revealed to one of the notable ladies of Rome who had appeared for the same task. This, all because Lucretia (Lucy Lawless) felt her honor besmirched when Ilithyia insinuated that they shared a common interest in wanting to lie with Crixus. Said notable woman ends up dead, planting Ilithyia and, by extension, Glaber firmly in the hands of House Batiatus.
Moving ahead a bit, Lord Raul Gaius Claudius Glaber appears in the lawless lands of Capua, a land where the magistrate was found dead at the hands of Solonius (as arranged by Batiatus with the help of Ashur) and the cousin of a notable roman has gone missing. Thinking to rid herself of the filth of Capua, Ilithyia miscalculates the ruthlessness of House Batiatus when the deigns to beseech her husband to give his patronage in support of Batiatus. The appearance of a missing cousins hand quickly sways Glaber’s mind after it is suggested that said dead cousin my mysteriously appear at his villa. Poor Ilithyia is left in Capua, her actions and words governed by Lucretia as they make plans to announce their newfound status.
But it would seem that Ilithyia will end up with the last laugh as she is the only one likely to make it into the next season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand as all the others where slain when Spartacus led his fellow gladiators in an uprising to slaughter the man who took his wife. Of course, there was a nice speech about freemen and changing Rome or some such, and with it went my hopes for more intrigue in the next season of Spartacus. I fear that without the actions of House Batiatus in their attempts to gain elevated status, the shaw shall become nothing more than bear breast, cocks and unbridled sex as Crixus seeks his love, Naevia, and Ilithyia fucks her way back to favor.
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